It was the former speaker of the House of Representatives in the U.S., Tip O’Neil, who once said that all politics is local.

And the proof in the pudding was the K-W byelection results that came in last Thursday night as NDP candidate Catherine Fife ended the Tory’s 22-year reign in Waterloo.

The plan she followed to win the seat and prevent a Liberal majority government was the same one used by another former school board chair, Elizabeth Witmer.

Whether it was Witmer’s surprise win the first time the province went NDP, to her years in government followed by a return to opposition benches, Witmer always seemed to live by the same mantra: Take care of your constituents and they’ll take care of you.

She was a tireless worker on behalf of the people of this city and region, and the fact that provincial funding flowed for things like cancer care, heart care and the research and technology park were all proof that she could deliver. But her re-election strategy was even simpler. She knocked on as many doors as she could and listened to what people had to say. It was that common touch that made her a community leader.

It was a lesson that wasn’t lost on any of the candidates who ran to fill her vacated seat in the run up to the Sept. 6 byelection. They all claimed they were the inheritors of that legacy of local politics.

But in the end it was only Catherine Fife who could claim that crown. Her years on the school board and as a local daycare advocate echoed priorities similar to that of a lot of families in this city. Give our kids the best start and best education you can and watch them thrive.

We’re sure Fife will keep up that strong work at Queen’s Park and keep delivering for her constituents.